


Lips of an Angel

by cherrylarry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Zookeeper Harry, the zoo, there's not much else to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-25 20:05:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13842045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrylarry/pseuds/cherrylarry
Summary: And Louis can’t believe what he’s seeing. A man, cuddling with a grown bear. Literally rubbing its belly like a contented puppy. He can hear baby talk coming out of the man’s mouth too. Louis rubs his eyes to see if this is actual real life, but when he uncovers them, the sight before him is still there. He didn’t think that when he took his siblings to the zoo that they would see something as odd as this.





	Lips of an Angel

**Author's Note:**

> Wow this was a journey! I could not have finished this in time if it wasn't for my cheerleader/beta [pinkasrocknroll](https://pinkasrocknroll.tumblr.com/). I saw this prompt and I had to do it and I'm so glad i did!

“Achoo, Achoo!! Zoo, zoo!!” The littlest twins yell from the backseat of Louis’ car. He was taking them to the zoo, just the three of them. Louis was actually looking forward to going to the zoo with his youngest siblings, Doris and Ernest. 

“How much longer until we're there, Achoo?” Doris asked 

Before Louis could answer, Ernest added, “Yeah, how much longer?”

Louis chuckled and rolled his eyes fondly at his little siblings. “We will be there within five minutes, I promise.” He looks in the rear view mirror at them and watches as they pout because “five minutes is foreverrr, Achoo!”

Louis thinks it's adorable how they still call him that. It started when they began to talk and thought that everything was hilarious. Louis got a kick of hearing babies laugh, so he would do everything he could to keep them giggling. He would exaggeratedly fake sneeze, throwing his head back and throwing it forward again as he yelled, “Aaaaachooo!!” And he loved it as they would giggle and he would do it again. Ever since then, to Ernest and Doris, he was Achoo.

“We're here!” Louis announces as he pulls into the zoo parking structure. The zoo opens at 10am and they're right on time for the gates to open. Excitement is clear on the twins’ faces as they wait in line. They're bouncing up and down like they can't stand still, they're so excited.

Louis tells them to hold his hands while they walk through the park. The last thing he needs is for them to get lost at the zoo. His mum would kill him. 

The first thing they go see after he takes the twins to the bathroom after the hour long car ride, is the penguin house. It had been recently redone since the last time Louis was there so he was curious to see what it was like inside. When they walk in, there is a glass wall looking in to where the penguins lived. The crowd in front of the glass was bigger than Louis expected for just opening, so he makes them wait their turn before going up to the glass to look at the penguins. Once they’re in front, they can see four different species of penguin. The twins are having the time of their lives it seems like just watching the penguins. They ooh and ahh and coo when a penguin dives into the water. 

To the right of where they were standing was a winding path that lead to an underwater tunnel so you could see the penguins swim overhead. It was pretty cool and Louis was impressed with it. Ernest and Doris loved it and penguins were one of Doris’ favorite animals, so she was especially excited to see them first. Louis took out his phone and had them sit on the bench along the side of the tunnel for a picture. 

After the tunnel they climb up the staircase to ground level again to the other side of the building. Through the glass they can see where they were before they went down. The gift shop is there and and Doris spots it first, racing into the little room.

“No running please!” Louis calls after her, walking with Ernie’s hand in his behind her. She convinces Louis to buy a purple stuffed penguin of course. It's overpriced because it's the zoo but he buys it because she's his sister. Louis picks up one of the stuffed penguins off the shelf, turns to Ernest and, in his announcer’s voice, says, “Hello! I'm Peyton the penguin! What's your name?”

Ernie giggles. ”Achoo, you already know my name!”

“Yes, of course I know your name but I’m not the one who asked, silly. Peyton the penguin just wants to introduce himself.”

“Ohhhh, okay! Hi Peyton the penguin! My name is Ernest!”

After the penguins, they head towards the butterfly garden. The butterfly garden is one of Louis’ least favorite attractions at the zoo but he's not there for him, he's there for his siblings. He tells them sternly before they enter to be very careful and to watch their step as they walk through because sometimes the butterflies land on the ground and you don't want to step on them. Once the twins voiced their understanding, they entered the garden. It was humid inside for the butterflies and a bit uncomfortable, but it was worth it for Louis to see the amazement on his younger siblings’ faces as they looked around at the butterflies. 

The thing about the butterfly garden was that, in order to get back outside, you had to walk through the birds as well, because they were connected in one building. Louis absolutely hated birds, so he lead Doris and Ernest through the path pretty quickly, stopping only briefly to see a semi-interesting bird on the way.

After the butterfly garden slash bird house, they walked the path to where the otters are. The sea otters are adorable, floating on their backs and one of them is asleep on the platform, curled up in a ball similar to a house cat. All three of them coo at the otters and Louis is sure to take photos of them to show the rest of the family. 

They walk around a bit more, looking at all the animals. Louis buys an overpriced bottle of water ---- because he didn’t think to pack one ---- and tells the twins to share it.  Hydration is important. 

He lets them walk a few feet in front of him, making sure they're holding hands, and keeping a close eye on them as they head to the next animal habitat. Which happens to be monkeys. Chimpanzees to be exact. There’s one chimp sitting in the tree, and two others on the ground seeming to be playing tag. It’s so cute to watch the animals interact with each other and the twins adore it too.

As it gets closer to lunch time, the kids get a bit grumpy and that is when Louis announces they are stopping for lunch. He’s learned from the years of babysitting his siblings, that the best way to cheer up a grumpy child is food. So they find a cafe, and Louis orders Ernest and Doris some chicken strips to share and gets himself a burger with fries and a drink. He pays an outrageous amount for their food because it’s the zoo, and then finds a table to sit and eat. It’s a pleasant time as far as lunches go, although Louis cringes to himself watching the twins chew with their mouth open. The three of them chat about the animals they’ve seen and the animals they are going to see. 

Louis thinks about how he needs to spend a lot more time with his littlest siblings. They’re growing up way too fast. Maybe he should move closer to Doncaster, closer to his family. 

“Achoo! Are we going to see the bears after this?” Ernie yells in Louis’ ear.

“Woah, buddy indoor voice please, I’m sitting right next to you. But yes we can go see the bears after this,”  Louis tells him. They finish eating their lunch, go to the bathroom again - which earns some complaints - and start heading to the bears. 

There are other animals they see on the way to where the bears are. They’re watching the lions and Ernie sees a sign down the path that says “Grizzly Bears” so naturally, he sneaks off toward the sign. Louis and Doris are taking a selfie in front of the glass with a lion in the background, not noticing they are missing one person when Ernie comes running back to them yelling, “Achoo, Dory! You have to see the Bear Man! Come on!” 

Louis, confused, asks, “What are you talking about? What bear man?” Ernie is pulling on his hand and trying to drag him to the bear exhibit with as much strength as a four-year-old has. Louis is just able to grab Doris’ hand as well, Ernie leading them both to see the “Bear Man.”

And Louis can’t believe what he’s seeing. A man, cuddling with a grown bear. Literally rubbing its belly like a contented puppy. He can hear baby talk coming out of the man’s mouth too. Louis rubs his eyes to see if this is actual real life, but when he uncovers them, the sight before him is still there. He didn’t think that when he took his siblings to the zoo that they would see something as odd as this. 

“Look, Achoo! We can meet the bear man! Can we meet the bear man, pleeeeaase?” Ernie is pointing to a sign that reads, “Meet Harry Styles! Learn about our bear Honey, bears in the wild, and more! Q&A sessions start at 1:30pm Monday through Friday and 12pm Saturday and Sunday at the indoor conservatory” And wait, when did he learn to read so quickly? Anyway, both Ernest and Doris are looking at him with fucking puppy eyes and no one, especially not Louis, stand a chance at resisting them.

So that’s how Louis, Ernest, and Doris end up front row in front of a little stage in the conservatory, waiting for Harry Styles to teach them about bears. They only have to wait about five minutes before the session starts and there’s a surprising amount of people in the small auditorium. When the “bear man” comes out on stage and the soft rumble of chatter disappears, Louis loses his breath. This man is the most gorgeous man Louis has ever seen. His hair is tied up in a bun, he walks out smiling and Louis can see dimples in his cheeks. 

“Hello, my name is Harry Styles,” he waves and, wow, his voice is so  _ deep  _ and he talks so slow it should be annoying but it’s not. “Thank you all for coming. Uhm, so how are you all? You good?” The crowd agrees, the twins both yelling “yes!” in their seats. Harry notices them, and gives them a thumbs up. 

Once his introduction is done, Harry starts talking passionately about bears, not just Grizzly bears either, he goes into polar bears, and black bears as well. Louis didn’t have any expectations about how interesting this session was going to be, but he’s very surprised. Of course he does get distracted for a while just watching Harry’s pretty pink lips move as he talks. When his lips are dry, his tongue peeks out to moisten them again and Louis follows the action intently. God, he is so pretty. Louis’ gaze raises up to Harry’s eyes and he notices that he’s staring at him expectantly. 

Louis looks around, behind him and everyone is looking at him. He looks back at the twins, hoping they’ll help him out here. “Why are they all staring at me?” He whispers to Doris sitting next to him. 

“The bear man asked you a question, Achoo.” She answers, in her version of a whisper which isn’t one at all, so everyone can hear. 

“Oh. Okay.” Louis clears his throat and addresses Harry, “Sorry, uhm, what was the question?”

Harry looks amused “Well, I was just going around the room to answer any questions you may have. So, do you have a question?”

“As a matter of fact I do have a question for you.” Louis takes a deep breath, not believing what he's going to say next. “Are you single?” He's surprised at his own boldness.

A few things happen before Harry answers. There's a rumble of laughter and some  _ oohs _ from the twenty or so people sitting behind him. On either side of him, Doris and Ernest are giggling. Harry's amused smile grows wider. 

“That’s a bit forward, innit?” Harry teases with a raised eyebrow. The dimples in his cheeks deepen and makes Louis want to poke his finger at them. Maybe kiss them too. “I’ll get back to you after we’re done here.” Harry adds with a wink.

The session lasts for about fifteen minutes longer, Harry going from person to person and answering their questions that are actually about the animals and not about his relationship status. Louis tries to pay attention, he really does, but he keeps thinking about what he’s going to say after the session is over. All he knows is that he really wants to know Harry more, even if he’s only said two whole sentences to him. 

So, when Harry finishes answering the last question, he dismisses everyone with “Always remember to treat people with kindness, thank you!” Louis hangs back, of course with Doris and Ernest chatting amongst themselves about all the new information they gained in the last hour. He’s waiting for Harry to come out from the small backstage area, and when he sees him, his heart beats faster as Harry walks over to them. He walks almost as slowly as he talks, Louis notices.

Harry is about ten feet away when he literally trips over his own feet. Louis scrambles over to catch him before he falls. They're face to face now, and Louis can see that Harry's eyes are the most beautiful green he's ever seen. 

Harry smiles sheepishly, “Oops,” he says.

“Hi,” Louis replies. They straighten themselves and take a couple steps back from each other.this was so cute! I liked the way you did oops and hi

“So, uh, I didn't catch your name earlier.”

“Oh, right. I'm Louis. Louis Tomlinson.” 

“Nice to meet you, Louis. And to answer your question from earlier, I am currently single.” Harry smirks and there’s that dimple again. 

“That’s great because I have another question if you don’t mind me asking. Would you like to go out to dinner sometime?” Louis’ heart beats loud and quick as he waits for Harry’s response.

Harry’s forest green eyes sparkled happily as he said, “Yes.” Wow, Louis just got a date with this gorgeous man.

It was then that Doris had to interrupt them because they were just grinning at each other like idiots. “Why is your face so red?” Louis and Harry start laughing.

“And I guess that is our cue to leave. Doris, Ernest say goodbye to Harry, and wait by the door for me, okay?” The twins both say their goodbyes and walk to the door like Louis instructed as he exchanges numbers with Harry and promises to work out the details of their date.later.

There’s an extra pep in Louis’ step as the three of them finish their day at the zoo. He has a new contact in his phone named “The Bear Man” with a bear emoji and a date to look forward to planning. This day went a lot better than Louis expected it to.  
  


 

***

 

It’s the following Thursday evening and Louis is dressed in a maroon shirt that hung low to show off his collarbones and his “It Is What It Is” tattoo, paired with his arse-hugging black skinnies. He’s standing outside the Italian restaurant waiting for Harry to show up. Louis checks his phone for the time and sees that he is five minutes early so Harry should be here any minute. 

When Harry shows up, he’s wearing a black button down that has flamingos all over it also with thigh hugging black skinnies. The shirt has three buttons undone at the top, showing off a bit of his swallow tattoo. His hair is down today, his curls cascading down to his shoulders, and he grins when he sees Louis holding a brown teddy bear instead of flowers.

“Hey. I figured we have a theme going, meeting each other at a zoo. I see you did too with that shirt.” Louis explains as he hands Harry the stuffed animal.

Harry giggles as he accepts it, “Yeah I can never seem to get away. Not that I would want to. I love it there.”  

“You look gorgeous by the way. The shirt would look ridiculous on anyone else but i love it on you.” Louis says as he opens the door to let Harry through first. 

Harry blushes at the compliment  “Thank you, Louis. You look quite ravishing yourself. That shirt brings out your blue eyes so well.”

They both get seated and look at their menus. Conversation comes easy and Louis can't help but to think that he could fall in love with this man if Harry let him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Here's the rebloggable [post](http://allthelarrylovex.tumblr.com/post/173114134168/)


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